Liquid control for storage tanks



March 15, 1949. J, ,l, McG|| |s ETAL 2,464,456

n LIQUID CONTROL FOR STORAGE TANKS F'iled May 4, `1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. J. MCGlLLlS ETAL LIQUID CONTROL FOR STORAGE TANKS March 15, 1949.

Filed May 4, 1945 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Mar. l5, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT F FICE 2,464,456 LIQUID CONTROL FORk STORAGE 'TANKS John J. McGillis and Hugh D. McGillis, Brockton, Mass..

Application May 4, 1945, Serial No. 591,968

4 Claims.v

`This invention relates to improvements in liquid ycontrol mechanism for storage tanks and the like and vmore particularly to improved means for modifying the effects of inowing liquid, thereby to prolong the useful life of such tanks and for ensuring against an overflowing amount of' oil or other liquid being deliveredinto a tank.

The invention is herein disclosed in its application jto domestic fuel oil storage tanks, although it will be understood that our improved .mechanism may be employed with advantage in connection with any container Which'isy required to hold relatively large quantities 'of liquid which is to 'be drawn oif and replenished from time to time.

Storage tanks, and more especially voil storage tanks, ordinarily have aninlet opening in a top ivall thereof through which4 oil may be delivered into a tank. If va tank is filled or replenished by 'gravity inflow of oil through the top opening, the incoming stream of oil customarily is directed downward with considerable forcejagainst the bottom wall opposite the top opening, and We have found that a large percentage of such tanks vvhich fail because of deterioration, fail `at this region of bottom Wall against Which the for-cible streams of incoming oil are directed. Although sediment may collect to a considerable thickness on the bottom of such tanks over a period of use, the layer of sediment has little effect as 'a protection for the bottom Wall because the force of an incoming stream of oil riles and displavces any sediment against whichrit strikes, and substantially the full force of the stream is taken by a relatively small area of Vtank Wall. Also,

as will be obvious, the riling of the sediment with consequent dissemination of solid particles through the oil in the tank, promotes clogging of fuel lines and lters to an extent which vfre-A quently causes annoyance and often results in discomfort and substantial expense to oil con sumers.

Furthermore, the current practice of *speeding oil deliveries by kforcibly pumping the oil from delivery trucks into consumer storage tanks has greatly aggravated the mentioned conditionsboth as to the deteriorating effects of the oil streams on tank walls and as to riling of sediment.

Also it not infrequently happens that fuel oil tanks overiicw onto the floor when their supply isbeing replenished, due to lack o f suitable means to prevent such overow. `Visualgages are sub jectto sticking and being inaccurate; and. the truck driver may be otherwise engaged and not notice that a tankg'is full or overowing, until considerable oil has spilled on the iioor to become a hazard if ignited, and disagreeable in any event c Ict-is among theobjects of our invention to provide means Within oil storage tanks and the like Afordistributing an incoming stream of liquid so thaty no substantial impact or pressure is directed against any limited area of Wall within the tank. Weprovide for reducing the incoming stream to aspray so that theliqui-d falls gently over a large area, with no` appreciable disturbance of sedimentwhich L'may have accumulated at the bottom VVof the tank. l

Another object is tonprovide means, in conjunction with our said spray means, for positively stopping inow to thetank when the liquid therein has risen to a predetermined maximum level. We providewithin our Spray nozzle a valve control which may be manually set in open position for free inflow of liquid and which automatically closes in response to a predetermined rise of a iloat. f

AIt is, moreover, our purpose and object generally to improveupon prior storage tank controls.

In the accompanying drawings:

c Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic view in vertical cross-section, through a building Wall and a fuel oil ystorage tank, the tank having an embodiment of our invention associated therewith;

, Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional vievv` through the spray nozzle, on a larger scale, and

, showing they valve andits -control mechanism;

Figure 3 is an elevational view looking from the left in FigureZ; 'and u Figure 4 is a perspective of our oat-actuated valve latch.

Referring tothe drawings, and more particulai'l'y to Fig. 1 thereof, a domestic fuel oil storage tank Il) is shown supported by the legs l'2 at a suitable elevation above a cellar floor, or the like, M. The tank is shown located adjacent an outside Wall I6 of a building, and the usual vent pipe i8` is representedr extending from the tank through the wall I'Band provided extericrly with th Iusual vent cap 20.

Y A usual ll 'pipe 22 also extends through the wall i6, it having a drop-cover receiving end 24 exposed exteriorly of `Wall I6 and extending thence through the Wall to a mid-location above the top Wall of tankv l0 where it is connected to the, una, ineicatee generally at 2s, which embodies our present invention and which is shown mounted in the inlet opening 28 in the top wall of the tank.

Referring now to Figs. 2-4, the unit I6 comprises a tubular housing which conveniently may be made in three parts as represented, the upper part 38 being a tubular elbow with one outlet connected to the ll pipe 22 and the other connected to a valve housing 32, flanged at its lower end at 34, so that it may be bolted to the usual flanged element 38 which is screwed into the top opening 28 of the tank.

The third part 38 of unit 28 is a tubular nozzle whose upper end is shown threaded into valve housing 32 and which depends from said housing through the element 36 to an appreciable distance down within the tank where its lower end is capped as at 40.

The side walls of the tubular nozzle 38 have t the multiple slots 42 therein distributed along the vertical extent of the nozzle so that liquid entering the nozzle cannot escape excepting through the slots, thereby to produce a lateral spray all along the nozzle and at least at two opposite sides thereof. As shown, the slots are in only two opposite side walls which preferably will be disposed so that their sprays will be directed generally longitudinally of the tank. However, the slots may be otherwise arranged and, if desired, may have a staggered relation providing spray slots all around the nozzle tube.

A valve 44 is carried on the valve stem 46 which extends axially of the nozzle and out through the bottom cap 48, and a spring 48, coiled around the valve stem, yieldably urges valve 44 to its seat 58 in valve housing 32. However, a projection 52 on the lower end portion of the valve stem is adapted to be latched, as in Fig. 2, by the spring latch 54, at the lower end of the` nozzle, thereby to hold the valve depressed away from its seat 50, against the tension of spring 48. Hence, with the valve latched open as in Fig. 2, oil or other liquid can pass freely from the ll pipe 22 into the interior of nozzle 38 for discharge as as pray into tank I through the slots 42.

Spring latch 54 has a depending leg 56 thereon on which is pivotally mounted at 58 the relatively long lever B0 which has the iloat member B2 at the free end of its long arm. A lug 64 projects from the leg '58 and is inclined as best seen in Fig. 4 for limiting downward swing of iioat lever 60. Also the lug limits upward swing of the iioat lever about pivot 58. However, when the float has been elevated to bring the short arm of lever 60 against stop lug 64, a further upward movement of the float draws the spring latch 54 out of latching engagement with projection 52 on the valve stem, thereby permitting spring 48 to snap valve 44 to its seat 50, for cutting 01T ow into nozzle 38.

According to the invention, the valve 44 will be manually set in latched-open position prior to a loading of the tank. For this purpose, the valve stem 46 has the extension 41 on the upper sidey of the valve, and the extension projects into elbow 3B with a suitable guide strap or spider 86 interiorly of the elbow for maintaining the extension and also the valve stem and valve in correct aX- ially disposed relation within the nozzle and elbow. A plunger 68 normally is in alignment with the extension 41, it having extent through a suit-` able packing nut 1l.) in the upper wall of elbow 30, with its upper end pivotally connected at 12 to the slotted arm 14 of a lever indi-cated generally at 16. This lever is pivotally mounted on the elbow as by being pivoted at 18 on the upstanding 4bracket 88. As represented, the slotted arm 14 of lever 18 is the shorter of two arms whose longer one carries a weight W which constantly urges the lever clockwise about its pivot 18 thereby to maintain the plunger 68 in its elevated position of Fig. 2. The weighted arm of lever 16 has a chain or cable 82 connected to it and trained thence over a pulley 84 which may be mounted on any convenient fixed support such as the cellar ceiling 86. The chain or cable, after passing over the pulley, extends toward the building wall i6 and has connection to the inner end of an actuating rod 88 which extends slidably through wall i6, with a knob or handle 90 on its exterior end. The inner end of the rod 88 has a stop element 9| thereon for limiting outward movement of the rod.

The weighted lever 16 normally holds the plunger 68 elevated and the chain or cable 82 taut, with rod 88 in its innermost position of Fig. 2.

Assuming that valve 44 has been closed to its seat 50 and that it is desired to set it in latchedopen position, as for filling tank I8, the extension 41 of valve stem would be in its dotted elevated position of Fig. 2. Hence by merely grasping handle and pulling rod 88 outward, the plunger 68 will be driven downward against the upper end of extension 41 thereby depressing it and the valve and valve stem until the latters projection 52 engages under the spring latch 54 which holds the valve open after handle is released and weight W returns the plunger to its elevated position of Fig. 2. Preferably the upper end of valve stem extension 41 is provided with the head82, and the lower end of the plunger 68 has a similar head 94.

With valve 44 latched open as in Fig. 2, the mechanism is in condition for loading of the tank, as by the insertion of the delivery truck hose nozzle in the exterior end of the lill pipe 22, and opening of the control valve by the truck man. Incoming oil enters the tubular nozzle 38 and discharges therefrom into the tank I8 as a distributed spray which deposits oil gently throughout a large interior area of the tank with no appreciable riling of sediment in the tank, As the level in the tank rises, the float is elevated and, at a predetermined maximum level, the float lever engages lug 64, and a slight further rise of the oat exes the spring latch 54 to the right in Fig. 2, thereby to release the valve stem for spring closure of valve 44.

Closing 4of valve 44 builds up [pressure in the fill pip-e 22 and the truck hose back to a cut-off valve at the truck.

After the supply from the truck has been `out oi, either automatically or manually, the hose and iill pipe 22 will continue full of oil and this must be flowedv into the tank lil before the hose connection -is broken. grasped and pulled out to depress plunger 68 to unseat valve l44 long enough to drain the fill pipe and hose. However, the valve will not become latched open at this time because the latch 54 will be in its release position due to the elevated position of the oat.

As soon as the iill pipe and hose have drained' into tank I0, the hose connection may be broken with assurance that oil will not be. spilled on .the lawn `or elsewhere on the consumers premises.

If desired, an abutment 96 may be provided on cap 40 of the nozzle for restraining any tendency of spring latch I54- to bow toward the abutment Again the handle 98 is.

under the shock of projection 52 being springurged against the latch.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a storage tank having an opening in an upper wall thereof and a ll pipe for conducting liquid to said opening, the combination therewith of means disposed interiorly of the tank at an upper region therein for receiving liquid delivered to the tank -through said iill pipe and lupper wall opening, said means comprising a tubular nozzle having a series of radial orices in its walls for spraying liquid from said nozzie, a Valve controlling ow to said nozzle and having a valve stem extending axially of said nozzle and projected out through an end wall thereof, a spring engaged around said valve stern within the nozzle and constantly urging the valve to closed position, means for releasably engaging said projected part of the valve stem for latching the valve in open position, manual means exteriorly of the tank for opening the valve, and means interiorly of the tank and responsive to change of liquid level therein for releasing the said latching means for spring-closing of the valve.

2. In a storage tank having an opening in an upper wall thereof and a ll pipe for conducting liquid to said opening, the combination therewith of means disposed interiorly of the tank at an upper region therein for receiving liquid delivered to the tank through said ll -pipe and upper wall opening, said means ycomprising a tubular nozzle having a series of :radial orifices in its walls for spraying liquid from said nozzle, a valve controlling flow to said nozzle and having a valve stem extending axially oi' said nozzle and project-ed out through an end wall thereof, a spring engaged around said valve stem within the nozzle and constantly urging the valve -to closed |position, means yfor releasably engaging said projected part of the Valve stern `for latching the valve in open position, a plunger extending to a location lexteriorly of said tank, means biasing said plunger to an inoperative position, and manual means =for actuating the plunger against its said `bias to eiiect an opening of said valve.

3. In an oil storage tank having length substantially greater than its width and having a fill opening in the top wall of the tank, a spray nozzle mounted in said ll opening and projecting downward a substantial distance within the tank, said nozzle having generally cylindrical side walls dening a chamber whose lower end is closed, and said side walls of the nozzle having spray openings therein disposed in Vertical rows and positioned for discharge of liquid only in directions generally lengthwise of the tank and vfree of any forcible impingement on walls of the tank, the portions of said nozzle walls standing opposite the side walls of the tank being free of spray openings.

4. In an oil storage tank having a ll opening in the top wall thereof, a spray nozzle mounted in said ll opening and projecting downward a substantial distance within the tank, said nozzle having generally cylindrical side walls dening a chamber whose lower end is closed, and said side walls of the nozzle having vertical rows of transversely disposed thin slots for discharging generally horizontally directed sheet-form sprays of liquid at vertically spaced locations in each vertical row of slots, and means for stopping discharge from the slots in response to a predetermined rise of the liquid `level in said tank.

JOHN J. MoGILLIS. I-IUGi-I D. MCGILLIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,427,965 Matuschak Sept. 5, 1922 1,709,263 Holbert Apr. 16,1929 1,732,107 Morgan Oct. 15, 1929 1,733,551 Moeller Oct. 29, 1929 1,929,390 Schmidt Oct. 3, 1933 2,244,982 Broberg June 10, 1941 2,249,180 Scully July 15, 1941 

